The Three Battles of Sanchin

By Al Case

Editor’s Note: The author discusses
Sanchin kata (or exercise) as performed in Uechi-Ryu karate where the
hands are kept open. In other styles, such as Goju-ryu, the hands are
closed in a fist when held in front of the body and thrust outward.

“IF YOU DON’T KNOW SANCHIN YOU DON’T
KNOW KARATE.”

A fellow once told me this, and I scoffed. After all, I had over twenty
years of studying Karate, how could I not know Karate? Then I learned
Sanchin, and found that he was absolutely right.

Master Kanbun Uechi (1877-1948), the founder
of Uechi-Ryu Karate, performing a double spear hand thrust that
appears toward the end of Sanchin.

Sanchin is the heart of the system known as Pan Gai Noon. Pan Gai Noon
became Uechi-Ryu, and Sanchin remained the heart. And many different systems
of Karate also have Sanchin in their curriculum.

The word Sanchin translates as ‘Three Battles,’ or ‘Three
Conflicts.’ As with so many words that have made the journey from
Founder to beginner over generations and translations, precise meanings
are sometimes hard to come by. But it is helpful to examine Sanchin, and
Karate, through this concept of ‘Three Battles.”

There is the obvious meaning of “Body, mind and soul.” One
must train the body to train the mind to train the soul.

There are the three elements that one should concentrate on to master
Karate: speed, strength and technique.

Of course if one wants to really plumb the depths of Sanchin one should
consider the three basic techniques within Sanchin.

Thrusting

Thrusting is the extension of the arms, utilizing the explosion of Tan
Tien (the center of the body located just below the navel), as braced
by the immoveable Hourglass Stance (known as the Sanchin Stance (where
one foot is forward of the other and the feet are angled inward).

Within the Kata there are two precise examples of this thrusting motion.
One is at the very beginning, and one is near the end. In the beginning
example the wrists are raised to the Tan Tien level, similar to a gunfighter
pulling guns out of holsters. Then the spear hands are thrust forward
and down.

Original time for learning this form was two to three years. It wasn’t
uncommon for a student to do nothing but this downward spear thrusting
for several months.

The reason this opening technique was so important was because it taught
the student to put ‘Gravity’ into his strike. This is to say
that the downward sinking of the body didn’t even have to be emphasized
to get a student to drop his weight and make his Tan Tien work. The direction
of the strike increased gravity without the teacher having to say anything.

I call this particular strike the ‘Leather Piercer,’ and
I tell my students they must practice this until they can thrust their
fingers through a piece of stretched leather.

I also have them practice finger-tip push-ups, working the fingers until
they are straight, and not claws.

And, of course one could return to the original methods of thrusting
the fingers into a vat of sand, exchanging the sand for harder materials
as time goes by.

Horizontal Circle

The bulk of Sanchin is taken up by the action of stepping while holding
the hands as if holding a thousand pound pot. One hand is then circled
in, as if blocking, and then thrust outward in a spear.

The technique within this motion is a simple Inward Block with the edge
of the hand (chop) and then circling the hand to a thrusting spear. But
most of the people that I have seen do this move execute a straight outward
and straight backward motion. Thus the block is obscured and the speed
and strength of the action is reduced.

Within Sanchin are horizontal and vertical circle
techniques which describe a mathematical “X, Y, Z” control
of the space around you through basic blocks. What’s interesting
is that you can combine them. They will meet any potential situation.

Consider, if you thrust the hand straight out and then pull it back the
only muscles that receive work are the forward and back muscles. This
means that one has to start the arm forward, stop it when it reaches it’s
destination, then start the arm back, and stop it when it has returned.
This is two actions of start and stop. But if you circle the arm inward,
and continue the circle until the arm is out thrust, there is only one
cycle of start and stop. Thus there is a very real blocking motion, and
it is done faster because there are less mechanical things to do, and
there is more ‘Muscle,’ in addition to the forward and backward
muscle, that is used.

The truth of the matter is that if you do this motion as I have described
it you will find that your speed increases dramatically. This is a simple
concept of less hard angles and more curves.

Vertical Circle

The vertical circle comes at the end of the form. This is the circular
motion done with the hands open (claws) as one learns to step to the rear
and then to the sides.

When one enters this particular technique they should point the fingers
of the hand that is going to block low in the direction of the block,
then wave the hand and snap the palm bone into place. The top hand, while
having potential applications, is more of a guard hand. The vertical circle
of the hands occurs at this point.

At the end of the circle the arms are pushed forward as if pushing something
weighing a thousand pound away from you.

So let’s talk about the manifestation of these three motions into
actual technique. The Thrusting motion is obvious. It is a strike? Wrong.
It is the Mother of all All Strikes!

The Override Exercise

Stand facing your partner and have him execute (in even counts) a left
punch to your belly, a right punch to your belly, a left punch to your
forehead, and a right punch to your forehead. He should punch as hard
as he can, but barely touch the skin.

As he punches to the belly you should punch with the same side hand and
“Override” his punch. As he punches to the forehead take the
inside track and, again with the same side hands, punch through his strikes.

As your forearms ram across his forearms your “Intention”
will grow stronger. You will become extremely strong in your punch as
you learn to punch through the increased resistance of this simultaneous
block and strike.

The second technique is from the horizontal circle movement. When the
attacker strikes to your chest simply execute a chop with the cross side
hand, insert the same side hand to grab, and let the chopping arm circle
in and spear to the throat.

The third technique is from the vertical circle movement. When the attacker
strikes to your chest simply execute a slap with the same side hand, insert
the cross side hand to grab, and let the slapping arm circle to claw the
side of the face. I usually place the thumb right on the side of the neck.
The neck is the connector between the computer and the life support system.
There are so many pressure points within this conduit of nerve pulse and
oxygen and blood that it is almost impossible not to strike something.
You may be surprised at how fast the attacker drops. I suggest, however,
that you not apply any pressure at all to your training partner. Simply,
don’t break it if you can’t fix it.

Following is the basic exercise I use to train people in Sanchin techniques.
It can be altered to fit any of the concepts listed in this article, and
a lot more besides.

The Basic Punching Exercise

Sequence 2—place here

While training a person in Sanchin I tend to have them work on the three
techniques for a while, then we move into combining the horizontal and
vertical circles.

The horizontal and vertical circles, describe a mathematical “X,
Y, Z” control of the space around a person through basic blocks.
What’s interesting is that you can combine them. They will meet
any potential situation.

I have left out the block for a kick at this early level, though one
could insert it easily enough by using a palm bone block within the vertical
circle. But let’s just look at the four combinations possible to
you through these first two blocks.

Close/Close

The Attacker punches with the right hand.

The Defender side steps slightly to the left and forward with the left
foot into an hourglass stance and executes a left palm and a right grab
to the wrist.

The attacker punches with the left hand.

The defender side steps to the right and puts the right foot forward
in an hourglass stance and executes a right palm and a left grab, and
circles a right claw to the neck.

Continue doing this exercise for a long time.

Open/Open

The attacker punches with the right hand.

The defender side steps slightly to the right and forward with the right
foot into an hourglass stance and executes a right chop and a left grab
to the wrist.

The attacker punches with the left hand.

The defender side steps to the left and puts the left foot forward in
an hourglass stance and executes a left chop and a right grab, and circles
a left spear to the neck.

Continue doing this exercise for a long time.

Close/Open

The attacker punches with the right hand.

The defender side steps slightly to the left and forward with the left
foot into an hourglass stance and executes a left palm and a right grab
to the wrist.

The attacker punches with the left hand.

The defender side steps to the left further, maintaining the hourglass
stance, and executes a left chop and a right grab to the wrist, and circles
a left spear to the neck.

Continue doing this exercise for a long time.

Open/Close

The attacker punches with the right hand.

The defender side steps slightly to the right and forward with the right
foot into an hourglass stance and executes a right chop and a left grab
to the wrist.

The attacker punches with the left hand.

The defender side steps further to the right, maintaining an hourglass
stance and executes a right palm and a left grab, and circles a right
claw to the neck.

Continue doing this exercise for a long time.

In arranging the basic blocks of Sanchin in the above four combinations
one has not only taken into account virtually every potential of hand
strikes, but has also gained some insight as to how to close weaknesses
which arise in the execution of the blocks. But the real glory in this
methodology is that the instructor does not have to “Entertain”
student with endless technique. When a student engages (practices) these
four combinations he will rapidly find many questions answered. In one
stroke he is cured from that addiction of learning increasing numbers
of fancy techniques that don’t work. He is also made to understand
how to search for true depth of technique, something which is obtained
only through penetration of fantasy and search for what works.

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About The Author:

Al Case began his study of the martial arts in 1967. The
Arts he has studied include Aikido, Shaolin, Tai Chi Chuan, Pa Kua Chang,
various weapons, and more. He has written over 30 articles for the magazines,
and had his own column, Case Histories, in Inside Karate. He is also a
published poet, has written short stories, and published over 20 novels.
He is the inventor of Matrixing technology, and his website is MonsterMartialArts.com.